The Team
We're a competitive bunch...On and off the job.
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Kyle Rhodes Founder / CEO
Meet Kyle Rhodes.
He’s the man who started it all at Focus Staff. An avid outdoor fan, when not captaining the ship, you’ll probably find Kyle trekking through the woods or running a tough mudder. But whatever he’s doing—helping healthcare professionals on their journey, coaching the team, or competing in some ridiculous fashion—he’s all-in. Oh, and he was born on a leap day, so that makes him roughly 9 years old.
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Brett Baird Senior Recruiter II
Meet Brett Baird.
He’s been on the Focus Staff team for more than four years, but came into the industry because some friends “said it was pretty cool.” He’s found his stride and, in his own words, “would do anything… ANYTHING!!! *within reason.” for his travelers. His advice to healthcare pros: “when in doubt, call me. I’ve always got your back.”
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Hind Haobsh A/R Coordinator
Meet Hind Haobsh.
Line up all the things she loves and here’s what you’ll find: The Oldies, movies, Agatha Christie, keeping a nice clean AP report and NOT sweets. Like, seriously no sweets.
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John Francis Senior Recruiter II
Meet John Francis.
With Focus Staff for over 8 years now, this U.S. Marine was built for a challenge. Which is why he’s so good at what he does: helping health care professionals find their perfect 13-week assignments and backing them up the whole way. Oh, and if you’re ever in a pizza eating contest with him, prepare to lose.
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Katie Salinas AR/AP Coordinator
Meet Katie Salinas.
This travel-lover found her way to the perfect job after being an office manager. She’s much better suited to working with Focus Staff. And her dog and cat (who get along just fine) both agree. Her advice to travelers: time management and organization are the keys to a happy life.
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Alisha Dixon Recruitment Manager
Meet Alisha Dixon.
Take the heart of a true Texan, ixnay the boots, the Country Music taste and the drawl, and you’ll end up with Alisha. A traveler (and marine biologist) at heart, she’ll keep her promises to her clients as long as it doesn’t get her locked in jail. That’s a good policy to abide by.
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Kristie Smith VP of Advisory Services
Meet Kristie Smith.
She’s been with Focus Staff for more than 9 years. Yeah, you read it right…9 years! She got into the field because she thought helping people explore the country would be a fascinating way to live life. Exploring is in her blood. She moved to Dallas at 20 with nothing in her pockets. She comes with a wealth of knowledge, and a mastery of the staffing industry. Her best advice is to “ask as many questions as you can! I have or will find the answers!”
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Myra Ramirez HCP Credentialing Analyst
Meet Myra Ramirez.
She’s a staffing agency veteran, but it wasn’t until she came to Focus Staff that she found her real home. She’s a true believer that you should have an advocate the whole way through the process, not just a salesperson who “sells” you on an assignment. Oh, and she loves reading! Her current favorite is the Percy Jackson series.
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Nicholas Jones Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Nicholas Jones.
Nicholas was born and raised in the northern suburb of Flower Mound, in the Dallas metroplex. So, of course, his favorite sports teams are the Dallas Stars and Dallas Cowboys.
His favorite movie is the Goonies. When he’s not at the office, you’ll likely find him spending time with his family. One of his favorite quotes is “Challenge yourself; its the only path which leads to growth.” Morgan Freeman.
Initially getting a degree in accounting, he transitioned to recruiting because he is too much of a people person. He has several family members in the recruiting industry, so you could say its practically in his blood.
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Patrick Aunkst Managing Partner
Meet Patrick Aunkst.
He’s been with Focus Staff for four years, but having owned and sold his own staffing agency, knows this industry inside and out. He’s a no-bullsh*tter from birth, but in his own words, is passionate about staffing because “I like the challenge of finding people jobs they don’t even know exist.”
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Salina Parada HCP Credentialing Analyst
Meet Salina Parada.
This self-proclaimed “walking melting pot”—Mexican, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, and a lot more—always wanted to be a doctor, fascinated with gore and bloody scenes on TV. But alas, ’twas not for her. But Focus Staff is the perfect fit. Her best advice? Live life outside of the box. YOLO, right?
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Shelby Curry Operations Manager
Meet Shelby Curry.
She actually started here a temp, but quickly became invaluable to our operations, and is now Operations Manager. This southerner (ask her to say “bless your heart” sometime… seriously, it’s amazing!) really knows how to get things done around the office, which includes making our healthcare pros happy every… single… day!
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Taylar Mata Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Taylar Mata.
Taylar, yeah..not Taylor, but Taylar…get it right folks!… loves recruiting because of the way she can impact folks in this profession. She says “every interaction has the potential to be impactful, whether it be positive or negative. Go forth with the intent to leave a positive imprint on the world.”
She has already seen a lot of this world. Born in Las Vegas; then to Fort Worth, then to another couple suburbs of Dallas, then to Plato and Waynesville Missouri, Columbia Missouri, Grafenoehr Germany, and back to Dallas. While in Germany, she hiked the tallest peak there, the Zugspitze.
Her favorite movie is Dirty Dancing. She loves her pets, especially her dog, but please dont tell her cat!
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Winston Gobert Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Winston Gobert.
He graduated Premed, but decided that helping healthcare professionals on their journeys was a better fit… not financially, of course. He’s a constantly-active guy, playing basketball, flag football, and on the Focus Staff softball team. He’s happy “only when my traveler is truly fulfilled.”
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Sean Robbins Recruitment Manager
Meet Sean Robbins.
He comes from the mortgage industry and hated how self-serving it seemed. Now with Focus Staff for over two years, he’s “finally at home” in a place he can actually make people’s lives better by helping them find their way on fascinating adventures. We’re just glad he’s not breaking any bones “successfully” skateboarding anymore.
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Darryl Clark Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Darryl Clark.
Born and bred in Dallas, Darryl is a huge fan of the Mavericks. MFFL (that’s Mavs Fan for Life, for those not in the know). Before joining Focus Staff and getting into the staffing industry, Darryl was a Baptist Missionary, going on missionary trips to Albania and the Czech Republic. A life long student, Darryl is devoted to learning something new every day. You may find him sending a daily motivational quote, or thought for the day. Now, who doesn’t appreciate that?!?
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Holly Boyes Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Holly Boyes.
Originally born in Houston Texas, and raised by two “amazingly supportive” parents. Holly claims her three best friends to be her younger brother and two older sisters. She graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Public Relations. She loves hiking, and has struggled her way to the top of Colorado peaks. She is also a pretty solid golfer. Her true calling is to give back to others, and loves the opportunity to help healthcare professionals find amazing jobs.
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Shari Sally Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Shari Sally.
A lifelong native of Dallas Texas, and Dallas Cowboys lover. Sunday football games, are what brought her family together weekly. She has been a successful nursing recruiter for 4 years now, and believes its her true calling. She loves helping people, both inside of work and out. When shes not busy finding amazing travel assignments for her folks, you may find her cooking, dancing, or traveling. You may also find her with her best friend; her 97 year old grandmother who she says is one of the most wise and funny people she has ever known.
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Mike Arkfeld VP of Business Development
Meet Mike Arkfeld.
A true Midwesterner, Mike was born in Iowa, raised in Omaha and just recently transplanted to the great state of Texas. He loves it so far, aside from the wickedly hot summers.
As the VP of Business Development, Mike is overseeing all things production-from recruiting to client acquisition and all the details in between. He is pulling from over twenty years experience in the staffing industry to make all this happen at Focus Staff.
When he’s not working on Focus’ growth, Mike will likely be spending time with his wife and two sons. At the end of the day, he finds great joy in what we do here, in that it greatly impacts patients and their needs if we can provide the staff to heal them.
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Laura Farah Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Laura Farah.
Laura wasn’t always a Texan, as she was born in Tucson, Arizona. She loves healthcare recruiting and the ability to relate to her travelers-as she was an anesthesia tech previously. She says there is nothing more fun in this business, than finding her travelers their next adventure! She herself loves traveling, wine, and an occasional half marathon. Her favorite quote is ” Do the difficult things while they are easy, and do the great things while they are small.”
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Luis Gutierrez Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Luis Gutierrez.
Luis is a Dallas native and loves nothing more than giving his travelers the news of a job offer. He loves cooking and is a true music nerd. He loves the Dallas Mavs, and his favorite movie is Rush Hour 2. One of his favorite quotes is by the late Anthony Bourdain speaking on travel “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.”
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Marissa Covarrubias Administrative Assistant
Meet Marissa Covarrubias.
Marissa is a Dallas native, hailing from Garland Texas. When not helping turn the gears at Focus Staff administratively, she does a ton of arts and crafts shows around the metroplex. She loves drawing, sculpting, painting, crafting, designing, and being the momma to a beautiful Shih Tzu.
She loves the idea of helping out our healthcare professionals, and helping them see the nation while doing something they love to do!
One of her favorite quotes is “If you have a dream, dont let anybody take it away!” -Selena Quintanalla
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Anika Chowdhury Corporate Recruiter
Meet Anika Chowdhury.
Anika is Focus Staff’s Corporate Recruiter which means she is always looking for the best talent for us, at all times. She loves meeting new, exciting, and unique people everyday in her position. She says “everyone has a unique story, and background, and I absolutely love working with people.” She has a Bachelors in Psychology and is currently working on a Masters in Management.
She is fairly new to Texas, hailing from New Jersey originally. She loves to go bike riding during the weekend, spending time with her family, and she loves to watch horror movies by herself. Wait. What!? Who does that??
She too is a leap day baby, like Kyle Rhodes, the founder of Focus Staff. So that’s pretty darn good luck! She is currently 6 years old, but soon to turn 7. Big things around the corner! 😉
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Nonye Ogba Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Nonye Ogba.
Nonye is a product of the Dallas suburbs where she was born and raised. She got into recruiting because she is passionate about helping people reach their full potential.
She is a huge fan of Kill Bill, both volumes I and II. One of her favorite sayings is “There is no greater life, than the one you have.”
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Michael Hermansen Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Michael Hermansen.
MIchael is originally from Motor City, Detroit Michigan! This would make him a Detroit Lions fan naturally. We won’t hold that against him however.
He loves to make life everyday as if it were an episode in a comedy series. He loves to laugh. When not involved in a comedy sitcom, he loves athletics, sporting events, and playing golf.
Being able to play a role in someone’s career and adventure is very rewarding to him.
HIs favorite quote is “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” -Winston Churchill
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Dalena Le Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Dalena Le.
Dalena was born in California and has now lived half of her life in California, and half in Texas.
One of her favorite sayings is “Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day.” She is passionate about happiness and being a positive force.
She got into recruiting because she wanted to start a new adventure, and chapter in her life.
When she’s not recruiting, you can find her reading, writing poetry and spoken word. *snaps*
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Jordi Trinidad Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Jordi Trinidad.
Jordi was born in Mexico City, and raised in Arlington Texas. He loves soccer, and Real Madrid is his favorite team.
He is passionate about technology, fashion, fitness, and design. That is why he loves the Focus Staff’s modern office design so much.
He got into recruiting, because he loves being the connection on jobs, and helping people make more money in traveling. Before getting into recruiting and graduating college, he worked at Home Depot. So if you have any questions on flooring, or dryers, he is your guy!
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Amanda Trammell Government Contracts Support
Meet Amanda Trammell.
Amanda was born in New Orleans, and then raised in Texarkana Texas.
She is passionate about animals and traveling. She got into recruiting to help people realize they can take advantage of traveling. While seeing new places and having new adventures, they can also make a great income! Its a win-win!
She loves UNC Tarheels basketball, and her favorite movie is Horrible Bosses. She says the most interesting thing about her is the fact that she has been skydiving twice, or the fact that she wasn’t alive when born. She had to brought back to life! Thank god she was.
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Delaney Damon Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Delaney Damon.
Delaney is one of our few employees who isn’t from Texas. We won’t hold that against her. She is originally from Arvada Colorado, and has spent a number of years in the service industry. She had a lot of experience in recruiting and management there, and loves the idea of doing so in the healthcare space. Since she is new to Dallas, she is often getting out and exploring her new city and its restaurant scene. If she is having a bad day, she believes she can “toss my hair into a messy bun, put on some rap, and then I can handle about anything!”
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Jessie Diaz Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Jessie Diaz.
Jessie is a Dallas native, hailing from the southern suburb of Mansfield. He brings a natural competitive spirit to recruiting in that he was a collegiate level soccer player at Dallas Baptist University. He later graduated from the University of North Texas, with a B.S. in Kinesiology. He is still very passionate about soccer, and coaching. He most recently was assistant coach of the Dallas Texans soccer club. One of his favorite movies is Zombieland, and he also loves playing video games. Jessie is a very easy going person, and one of his favorite quotes is “Perfection, in itself, is imperfect.”
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Luther Soules Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Luther Soules.
Luther is a San Antonio native, and graduate from Texas A&M University where he majored in Biology. When he isn’t recruiting he is likely cooking, playing guitar, or video games. He has always had a high respect for healthcare professionals, so a career in healthcare recruiting made a tremendous amount of sense for him. He loves music, and actually got got a minor in it (pun intended). He plays it, listens to it, and even dives into the theory of it. As he says, if you “wanna talk Bach, i’m your guy!” A natural go-getter, he likes the quote “If opportunity isn’t knocking, build a door.”
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Maureen Nicol Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Maureen Nicol.
Maureen is a Dallas native, and a recent graduate from Texas State University where she received a B.A. in Fine Arts and Communications. She is excited about healthcare recruiting because of the challenge, and the ability to help people find great jobs. Her parents are originally from Sierra Leone. Her father is an entrepreneur and has instilled that ‘whatever it takes’ work ethic in his daughter. When she’s not hustling, you may find her belting out crowd favorites at a Karaoke bar. She also loves to travel, so she stays jealous of our traveling healthcare professionals. One of her life mantras is to “Expect the worst, and pray for the best.”
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Garrett Matacale Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Garrett Matacale.
Garrett grew up in North Texas and attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas.
He loves funny movies, and especially “Balls of Fury” and “Nacho Libre.” He loves to play soccer, and did so in high school and at the college level. In his spare time he loves to be outside. Hiking, walking, or even just hanging outside really get him going!
Garrett got into recruiting because he was interested in the ‘every day is a different day’ aspect of it all. He loves talking with people about their experiences and how they got to where they are at now.
An interesting fact about me is through my dedication with soccer I was fortunate enough to play overseas in Australia for a club called Monaro Panthers Football Club. I actually applied to work with Focus Staff while he was in Australia.
His favorite quote has to be, “Luck, is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”.
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Sarah Kelsey Compliance Manager
Meet Sarah Kelsey.
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Shay Khorramshahi Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Shay Khorramshahi.
Shay grew up in Allen, Texas and attended the University of North Texas. She is a die hard football fan, and loves her Dallas Cowboys.
She loves to bake, and owning a baker would be her dream job…I mean, in another life. Her favorite movie is Friday, and shes likely watched it 100 times! She also speaks Farsi fluently, so make sure and ask her how to say a few things!
Shay worked briefly in childcare, did some recruiting while there, and got the bug. She has a lot of family in healthcare and really wanted to share that passion in healthcare recruiting. She loves the idea of helping people do what they love to do, and travel while doing it.
One of her favorite quotes is: “Train your mind to see the good in everything. Positivity is a choice. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”
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Stacy Gallegos Healthcare Recruiter
Meet Stacy Gallegos.
Stacy is one of the few team members, not from Texas originally. She grew up in Auburn, California.
She loves music, and has too many favorite artists to pick just one. Her dad owned a record company, so music was everything in her household growing up. She loves everything from Jazz, to rap, to rock and roll…but no “head banging” stuff she says. She loves movies, and two of her favorites are True Romance and The Professional.
In her spare time, which she says is “very spare”, she loves arts, crafts, reading, and doing yard work.
Stacy was actually a traveling CNA with Focus Staff for several years before coming onto the team as a recruiter. This gives her a unique perspective, and compassion for her travelers. She always found herself teaching people about traveling, and it just seemed like a natural transition to become a full time recruiter.
“If it is what it is, then it can’t be what it is not!”